Funding slashes: Jobs lost at IAA

Page 2

Heavy funding slashes cultimating in a huge deficit have forced the Indian Association to lay off employees.

When the lay-offs become effective July 31, IAA employee Helen Gladue's position will be terminated.

Contacted at the IAA Enoch office, Gladue said, "I have no bad feelings. My job in the financial department enabled me to see what was happening. I knew the IAA has been looking at a deficit for the past two years."

Gladue does not plan to appeal the IAA decision to let her go because she feels the organization had no choice. She will return to school at the Concordia College.

The deficit is a continuation of cutbacks imposed on the IAA last year when nearly $150,000 was cut from its annual operating budget. At the beginning of this fiscal year in March, the budget was reduced from $950,750 to $750,000.

IAA President Gregg Smith says the terminated positions are in the financial and secretarial support areas. The three other employees that will be laid off are Ivi Auigbelle, Corina Kinequon, and Beatrice Morin.

The organization will seek financial resources from the provincial government, approached sparingly in recent years by the IAA. Smith explains provincial funding is already utilized for a "Child Welfare Project."

However, he quickly pointed out the IAA "will not compete with bands, to acquire the kind of dollars they're looking at from funding agencies.

"The funds we are seeking from the province will not reflect on work being done on treaty issues," says Smith.

Department officials have consistently stated that cutbacks are imposed right across the board and are not due to federal deficit spending.

In an interview published in July 17 Windspeaker, Executive Secretariat Director of Indian Affairs Ken Medd said "We have more legitimate needs for money than to provide money solely to the IAA. Nobody will get the same level of funding as last year."